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The veteran image maker tells The Hollywood Reporter the story behind her new partnership and how she drafted close friends like designer Carlie Cushnie and chef Laila Gohar to model the sparkling designs.
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The life of an A-list power stylist doesn’t allow for a lot of downtime so when the pandemic hit and Kate Young had a little more on her hands, she made the most of it.
“I’ve used Monica Vinader’s brand for a while and we had talked about doing a collaboration. When COVID happened and everything got put on hold, Monica and I tried to figure it out. Someone suggested we get together on Zoom so one day we did and had the best time during the dark days,” explains Young, who maintains a client list that includes Margot Robbie, Dakota Johnson, Selena Gomez, Michelle Wiliams, among others. “We talked about jewelry for an hour and made a plan to talk more. Then the collab came out of that.”
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The Monica Vinader x Kate Young collection debuts today and is said to be “born from a love of design, modernity and craftsmanship.” The range features rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces in bold green onyx, black onyx and lemon quartz set in clean, sculptural pieces. It’s affordable, too, with prices from $115-$850.
Young said she appreciates Vinader’s sustainability practices and how she makes use of the most “incredible” stones. Vinader, born in San Sebastian, Spain, maintains boutiques in London, Hong Kong, New York and Singapore with a home base and design team in Norfolk, England.
“All the metals she uses are 100 percent recycled and she goes to outer limits to make sure that all the stones are responsibly mined,” explained Young of the designer’s eco-conscious methods, further praising Vinader for winning a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development for the brand’s commitment to the environment and ethical design.
Young’s favorite pieces, seen below, include a bangle bracelet featuring black onyx and cocktail earrings in lemon quartz. “I want to wear it all the time,” Young said of the bangle. “The way we wanted to make it look was technically hard to achieve. I didn’t think we were going to make it happen. It’s one continuous circle in gold with an onyx smooth cut stone set right into the gold. There’s no visible setting and it’s set in a way where it won’t break. It’s really complicated. When you know the story of how something is made and all of the different iterations it went through, it makes it feel really precious.”
She also loves the fact that the designs are modeled by her close friends, clothing designer Carlie Cushnie and chef and artist Laila Gohar. “I’m really happy with the images and how they turned out,” praised Young, who also has a collab with eyewear brand Tura. “They look beautiful in the campaign and I am psyched about it.”
Ever the stylist, Young also explained that jewelry like this offers an easy fix to dress up an ensemble for Zoom meetings. “[During COVID] I’ve started using more significant everyday jewelry than I had in the past — bigger hoops, stronger necklaces and more important jewelry,” she explained. “We’re still doing Zoom calls and I don’t think it will ever stop because it’s very convenient for getting a bunch of people together to have a chat. A big earring, necklace or some incredible piece [worn] with a simple t-shirt can make you look like you got dressed up.”
The Monica Vinader x Kate Young collection is available exclusively at monicavinader.com and in-store at Monica Vinader boutiques, Farfetch, Selfridges, Liberty and Nordstrom (stores and online).
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